South Texas man sentenced to 17 ½ years in federal prison for producing child pornography

LUBBOCK, Texas — A South Texas man was sentenced Friday by Senior U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings to 210 months in federal prison for producing child pornography.

This sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.  U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Crockett County (Texas) Sheriff’s Office investigated this case.

According to plea documents filed in the case, Felipe Martinez Ramirez, 48, of Ozona, Texas, enticed a girl to engage in sexually explicit conduct with him at a residence in Ozona, and he used a cell phone to record that conduct reflected in a bathroom mirror. Martinez Ramirez pleaded guilty in September to one count of producing child pornography.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Sucsy was in charge of the prosecution.

This investigation was conducted under HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 14,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2015, nearly 2,400 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 1,000 victims identified or rescued.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.

For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI’s Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.